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Thursday, July 14, 2005

The Stained Tooth Society

The last couple months, while schlepping spit buckets and screwing corks behind the tasting room bar, I have had several customers talk about some great wines from a friendly new winery in the valley - Dusted Valley Vintners. What I know about Dusted Valley Vintners: it was founded by some self-named "Cheese Heads" from Wisconsin and their wine club is called, "The Stained Tooth Society." Their sense of humor alone sounds worthy of a visit.

Last night was "girl's night out." We decided to do potluck and bar-be-que. You have to understand our evenings. They are often filled with a lot of wine, chocolate, and maybe a carrot stick and a chicken chest to keep us honest. To my delight, there was a bottle of Dusted Valley Vintners 2003 Columbia Valley Viognier (Thank you Jamie). Finally, an opportunity to sample what this new buzz was about.

The first taste made my left eyebrow rise with interest. The nose was floral and the taste was very fruit forward with a bit of honey. Maybe honeysuckle? The wine had just enough acid that it paired perfect with the shrimp salad, fresh fruit and avocado slices I had on my plate. It is also a wine that would enhance a cheese plate. I was impressed. Tough to do. You see, I am a finicky fan of Viognier and I have been spoiled. I have tasted the best Viognier in the valley made by Christophe Baron at Cayuse Vineyards. It's tough to look back (also Cayuse Viognier isn't easy to come by), but Dusted Valley's Viognier is worthy of me telling people about it - and I will.

The next weekend that I am not pouring wine for the masses, I will venture out and see if I can stain my teeth on the rest of their wines - - of course I will report back.